


Keep your Friends close, and your Enemies closer - but not too close, that might be Dangerous

by Kintoki_kun



Category: Gintama
Genre: Gen, Handcuffs, I'm Bad At Summaries, Kidnapping, No pairings - Freeform, Swearing, Torture, Violence, poor gintoki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kintoki_kun/pseuds/Kintoki_kun
Summary: "Tomorrow’s lucky sign is libra, old and new acquaintances want to keep you close, new kinds of enjoyment might open up, so prepare yourself. Cancer could get a promotion and Taurus, it might be a good idea to reschedule your appointment with the dentist. Have a nice day!"His horoscope didn’t sound that bad, but Gintoki can’t get a break, somehow all of Edo has it out for him, and why exactly can’t he get rid of those handcuffs?
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided to write a Gintama story, I love the characters and will do my best to write them, English is not my native language, so I’m sorry in advance for any mistakes. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, have fun! Oh, and I tried an uncommon perspective for the first chapter, future chapters will be from a different viewpoint.
> 
> Gintama is owned by Hideaki Sorachi and I would never dare claim it for myself.

**Chapter 1**

The suburbs of Edo were a strange place at night. In contrast to the busy days and evenings, only a few people were on the roads cast in shadows. Some of them barely conscious on their way home from a drunken night, some more alert, intent on either robbing said drunken people or doing other shady business. You could say that it was not a place for normal people to be out and about.

And then there was their group. Six people, clad in black, on their way to a house where the lights went out an hour ago.

She thought that six people for such an appointment were clearly overkill, but she would not question her master’s orders. She looked to the man slightly behind her to her right and nodded. They were ready to go in. He nodded back and she had no idea how he could even see her, wearing his sunglasses, but he somehow managed.

The group silently went up the wooden stairs and she tried the door. It was not locked. How easy did this guy even want to make it for them? Or was it maybe a trap?

She carefully slid the door to the side and entered the hallway. Two boots were laying askew across the floor and she stepped around them. Behind her, the other men entered.

Thankfully the moon shone enough to illuminate the small flat. She could hear breathing behind one of the sliding doors and slowly opened it. What she saw reassured her that she actually needn’t bother to care.

On a futon laid their prey without a blanket, snoring deeply, limbs laying haphazardly in every direction, thick bush of hair concealing his eyes and drool slowly making a way down his chin leaving a stain on the mattress to his left. He didn’t look anything like she last saw him, fighting Amanto left and right, with an aura of power surrounding his whole being. The man laying on the futon before her was just a drunk person that didn’t even manage to change into his pyjamas after a wild night out. She made a grimace. It smelled like stale alcohol and sweat. Disgusting.

She kneeled next to his face, and he still snored. Way too easy… She got the soaked cloth out of her pocket and was about to press it on his face when a hand stopped her. Bansai motioned for her to wait and positioned himself at the guy’s torso, motioning for the other men to come nearer. Damn that guy was cautious. But as long as Shinsuke-sama was pleased with their work, she didn’t care.

She pressed the cloth down on nose and mouth, and the guy immediately reacted.

His hand shot up to grab her hand, but Bansai interfered and pinned the hand to the ground. Matako had lost her grip a little and digged her other hand into the thick hair to hold him still. Red eyes were staring at her as he struggled, and she could have sworn that she saw recognition in them even though she was completely covered in black. He seemed to have realized his situation now, he started kicking and tried to move his body out of the grip. He was strong. Bansai had to throw himself on top of the guy so he didn’t get free.

Finally his struggles became weaker and Matako knew that the drug was at last working. He gave her a kind of offended look before the eyes closed and the whole body went limp. Damn that was harder than she thought, if Bansai hadn’t been so cautious, they might not have succeeded. She had no idea what Shinsuke even wanted with his old war comrade, and she was pretty sure that involving that guy was a bad idea, but as long as Shinsuke was pleased with her work, she would also be pleased. She gave the signal for the return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gintoki hated the feeling shortly before fully waking up after drinking the whole night. The feeling itself was not that bad, but the certainty of being in a state of severe headache, an upset stomach and somehow having to get through the day in a few seconds and not being able to go back to sleep was the bad part.

He subconsciously remembered Ketsuno Ana’s Dark Astrology from yesterday:

“Tomorrow’s lucky sign is libra, old and new acquaintances want to keep you close, new kinds of enjoyment might open up (try the M stuff for example), so prepare yourself. Cancer could get a promotion and Taurus, it might be a good idea to reschedule your appointment with the dentist. Have a nice day!”

That was strange, maybe she meant him meeting the Madao last night, and what was that strange half sentence she barely mumbled about the M stuff? Should he maybe buy a smaller shirt? Was L too big for him? Damn that didn’t get him anywhere.

Maybe he should finally get up. But he couldn’t hear Kagura or Shinpachi, so there was no point in actually getting up, maybe he would be able to sleep for another hour.

He tried to turn around and realized that he couldn’t.

That together with a metallic sound and a tug at both his wrists convinced him quickly to open his eyes. Unfortunately, his hangover used this moment to hit him full force. In the head. With a spiked mace.

He managed to throw his head to the side to not get vomit on his clothes, but it was disgusting nonetheless.

He collected his breath and realized that the hangover might be the least of his problems.

At least he already had experience with hangovers. That he woke up cuffed to a pole in the middle of a big building hadn’t happened before. What the hell was going on?

He tried to recollect what happened the day before. He had gone out to drink after a successful job (they found a missing cat, and Gintoki even saved it from being swallowed whole by Sadaharu afterwards) and well… he remembered the first two bars, somewhere on the way he had a recollection of running into the Madao, then it might have gone on for another bit, and did the V-banged police guy show up?

He might have just scolded him about not being a responsible adult or something like that.

Then he met that chick from Takasugi’s crew…wait, did she really show up?! At what bar? And he kind of remembered the sunglasses guy from Takasugi too…Damn it, how did this all happen?

He took a deep breath and quickly decided to move as much away from his vomit as he possibly could. Since his wrists were secured behind his back and around a pillar with cuffs, it was only 180 degrees, but better than nothing.

The fresh air and the adrenaline cleared up his recollections a bit. He still didn’t recall everything from the last night, but he remembered getting woken up from blissful sleep by a cloth on his face and his flat being full of people he hadn’t invited. There the chick from Taksugi’s gang was involved, she and the sunglasses guy held him down while he fought against being kidnapped. He obviously hadn’t succeeded.

Damn, that could only mean one thing: Takasugi must have ordered to kidnap him.

But why?

What the hell was going on?

He felt a bit of relief in this horrible situation when he thought about Kagura and Shinpachi. It was good fortune that he had sent them to Shinpachi’s violent sister with the rest of the cat-money so that they could have a nice meal (Shinpachi knew by now how to prevent his sister from cooking, it had to be survival instinct). He really didn’t want the two of them getting involved in this.

He shivered. It was not warm in the hall, and it didn’t help that he was barefoot. There were some crates, but he had no idea what was in them. Some windows near the high roof let in a bit of sunlight, but the room was still rather dark. He didn’t have anything with him, and he realized that he was wearing the same clothes he had last night, which he obviously didn’t manage to change before going to sleep/collapsing on the futon. Could things get any worse?

Right on cue (maybe he should remember to not think that sentence too clearly for the future), he heard the sound of sandals on concrete behind him. He didn’t bother to turn around and searched for his best indifferent and bored tone.

“So, what exactly leads you here, Bakasugi? I would have given you a call if I knew that you were that desperate for Gin-san’s company…”

The steps approached him, and there he stood, in all his evil glory, purple yukata and concealed eye and all. “You haven’t changed a bit, Gintoki. And I didn’t get you for your company, but your strength.”

Damn, if Takasugi also hopped on the Lets-bother-Gintoki-regularly-with-joining-some-rebel-faction-that-he-didn’t-want-to-take-part-in-train, Gintoki wouldn’t have time for anything else.

“I won’t join your stupid war, and you know that full well, so why this all?” Gintoki indicated the whole room with his head.

“It’s simple. You will kill the Iguanu ambassador of the Amanto on his way to an official meeting with shogunate representatives and –“

“Oi, oi,” Gintoki interrupted him before he could get in the flow, “didn’t you listen to me just saying that I won’t join your-“ only a spark in Takasugi’s eye warned Gintoki before fingers dug into his chin, effectively closing his mouth and interrupting his tirade.

“I did tell you once that you still had your fangs, and I’ve even seen the proof, but” he leaned closer and Gintoki would have moved back if the pillar and Takasugi didn’t hold him in place. “you left your weak point wide open and you’ll have to live with the consequences.” Takasugi let go of his chin, but he remained before Gintoki. A feeling of dread spread through his already upset stomach.

“Wha-“ he didn’t get to finish his question

“The Yato girl and the boy.” Gintoki’s stomach sank even lower. That was what he feared. He tried to compose his face but the triumphant smile in his opponent’s face told him that he failed miserably.

“I didn’t do anything to them yet. But if you don’t do exactly as I say I will kill them. The boy first, killing a Yato is not that easy. I know that they are at the Koudoukan Dojo right now.”

Takasugi waited for a reply, but non came. “I take it that you understood what is at stake. Now listen carefully. I will send you with a group of men lead by Bansai to the meeting point. He will give you the details. I want you to kill the ambassador, directly. If you don’t do it, if you alarm someone or if I don’t hear anything from Bansai, the two children will die.”

There was no choice. Takasugi had him right where he wanted him and Gintoki couldn’t do anything. And the worst part was that it wouldn’t be a one-time thing. As soon as word spread that a white-haired samurai had killed an Amanto ambassador, Gintoki would be a wanted man. Then he could either run and hide alone or crawl back to Takasugi and fight with him. If it wasn’t so badly severe for him, he could actually admire the plan. His life as he knew it would be over, because as a wanted criminal, he wouldn’t be able to see Kagura and Shinpachi again, and even the Shinsengumi wouldn’t be able to do anything if he would kill a high-ranking Amanto, even if it was under duress.

“I will send Bansai to pick you up. Enjoy your last quiet hours,” Takasugi stood up and moved away.

“You bastard. I will hunt you down for this, and I will kill you,” Gintoki had to collect all his self-control to not shout it in Takasugi’s face. “Bringing the children into this is low, even for you.”

Takasugi looked back at Gintoki, “You know that I don’t care about the steps that I have to take to achieve my goal. It was your negligence that endangered the kids. I look forward to a fight. Might the one with the sharper fangs win.”

Gintoki heard a door close. It felt like a hammer sealing his fate as beyond hope. He could do nothing but wait.


End file.
